Inclusion, Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Racism Policy

OBJECTIVE

Axe Basketball recognizes that racism, discrimination, harassment, bullying, and violence is harmful to our community, not only for the group(s) targeted, but for all participants. Axe Basketball is committed to creating and maintaining a safe sport environment which is free of discrimination and harassment, where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, can contribute fully and have equal opportunities. All Axe Basketball participants are expected to uphold these values and actively maintain a sport environment that fosters respect, is anti-discriminatory and actively anti-racist.

The purpose of this policy is to:

• Foster a positive, safe and respectful environment for all players

• Ensure Axe Basketball club’s values are understood, communicated, and championed by all participants

• Define behaviors that are not permitted

• Outline a safe space to report and a clear process to address wrongful conduct

• Outline resolution measures for participants who engage in wrongful conduct

This policy applies to all forms of racism, discrimination, harassment, bullying, and violence within our programs, both written (inclusive of, but not only with respect to, registration submissions, communications with Axe Basketball staff/volunteers, and communications on Axe Basketball-owned social media channels) and verbal (inclusive of, but not only with respect to, conduct at Axe Basketball practices, games, tournaments and events, and communications with Axe Basketball staff/volunteers).

This policy applies to all Axe Basketball participants and spectators, employees of the Axe Basketball club (including full-time, part-time, and volunteer-based positions) and all other members of Axe Basketball.

Axe Basketball is committed to ensuring our club is a safe and welcoming space for all BIPOC and 2SLGBTQIA+ athletes.

PROHIBITED CONDUCT

Discrimination refers to any action, behaviour or attitude, whether intentional or not, which negatively affects another individual with respect to protected grounds, as defined by the Human Rights Code. This policy prohibits discrimination based on the following protected grounds:

• Race

• Ethnicity

• Religious Beliefs

• Colour

• Gender

• Gender Identity

• Gender Expression

• Physical Disability

• Mental Disability

• Age

• Ancestry

• Place of Origin

• Marital Status

• Source of Income

• Family Status

• Sexual Orientation

• Weight

Harassment is a form of discrimination and refers to wrongful conduct that negatively affects the sport environment or leads to adverse consequences within that environment for the person(s) experiencing the harassment, which the offending person(s) knew or ought reasonably to have known would be unwelcome. Harassment can involve words or actions that are known or should be known to be offensive, embarrassing, humiliating, demeaning or are otherwise unwelcome. Harassment can also present in the form of microaggressions, a subtle and often unconscious expression of prejudice.

Examples of Harassment include, but are not limited to:

• Unwelcome remarks, jokes, nicknames, innuendo, or taunting which may, but need not be linked to a protected ground, such as a person’s race, sex, gender identity, weight etc.

• Deliberately excluding an individual or group or otherwise attempting to discredit, socially isolate, or disempower an individual or group

• Racial, ethnic, homophobic, fatphobic, gendered, transphobic, sexist, sexual, disability or other slurs

• Use of terminology that reinforces stereotypes

• Written or verbal abuse or threats

• Vandalism or physical assaults

ZERO-TOLERANCE POLICY

Axe Basketball Board of Directors reserve the right to remove players immediately from a facility if they are involved with any of the following acts toward anyone:

• Using racial, ethnic, homophobic, fatphobic, gendered, transphobic, sexist, sexual, disability or other slurs

• Swearing directly at another person

• Intentionally pushing, shoving, or making physical contact with another person

• Instigating and/or retaliating in an altercation

• Displaying disrespectful or threatening behavior

If a player is ejected due to unsportsmanlike play, they must vacate the facility immediately, inclusive of the parking lot.

RETALIATION

Axe Basketball participants must not retaliate or react in a negative way to any situation or fellow participant(s), regardless of circumstance. Retaliation will also be subject to consequences as determined.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

• 2SLGBTQIA+: Two (2) Spirited, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, + (Pansexual, Agender, etc.)

• Two (2) Spirited: An identity for people who have both a masculine and a feminine spirit, used by some First Nations peoples to describe their sexual, gender and/or spiritual identity.

• Lesbian: An identity for female-identifying people who are sexually and/or romantically attracted to other woman.

• Gay: An identity for people who are sexually and/or romantically attracted to people of their same-sex or gender identity. Traditionally this identity was reserved for men, but it has been adopted by people of all gender identities.

• Bisexual: An identity for people who are sexually and/or romantically attracted to two or more genders.

• Transgender: An identity for people whose gender identity differs from what is typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. Trans people may or may not choose to alter their bodies hormonally and/or surgically.

• Queer: This term makes space for the expression of a variety of identities outside of rigid categories associated with sex, gender or attraction. Historically a derogatory term used as a slur against 2SLGBTQIA+ people, it has been reclaimed by many as a positive way to describe themselves.

• Intersex: An umbrella term to capture various types of biological sex differentiation. Intersex people have variations in their sex characteristics, such as sex chromosomes, internal reproductive organs, genitalia, and/or secondary sex characteristics (e.g. muscle mass, breasts) that fall outside of what is typically categorized as male or female.

• Asexual: An identity for people who lack sexual attraction or interest in sexual expression.

• Pansexual: An identity for people whose choice of sexual or romantic partner is not limited by the other person’s sex, gender identity or gender expression.

• Agender: An identity for people who do not have a gender identity, or that their gender identity is neutral. People who are agender may also identify with genderqueer or

nonbinary as umbrella terms.

• Cisgender: A person who identifies with the gender they were assigned at birth.

• ANTI-RACISM: “The active, ongoing process of dismantling a system of racial inequity and

creating a new system of racial equity. Anti-racism demands that this work be done at the

individual, organization/institutional and cultural levels in order to effectively address systemic

racism.”

• BIPHOBIA: The fear, hatred or aversion of people who are attracted to more than one gender.

• BIPOC: Black, Indigenous, People of Color

• DISABILITY TERMINOLOGY: “A disability is a functional limitation or restriction of an individual’s

ability to perform an activity. The word ‘disabled’ is an adjective, not a noun. People are not

conditions. It is therefore preferable not to use the term ‘the disabled’ but rather ‘people with

disabilities’ [person-first language].”

• FIRST NATIONS PEOPLES: ‘Indigenous Peoples’ is a collective name for the original peoples of

North America and their descendants. Often, ‘Aboriginal Peoples’ is also used. The Canadian

Constitution recognizes three groups of Aboriginal Peoples: First Nations, Inuit and Metis. These

are three distinct peoples with unique histories, languages, cultural practices and spiritual

beliefs.

• GENDER VS. SEX:

o “A person’s GENDER refers to socially constructed roles, behaviours, expressions, and

identities of girls, women, boys, men, and gender diverse people. It influences how people

perceive themselves and each other, how they act and interact, and the distribution of

power and resources in society. Gender identity is not confined to a binary (girl/woman,

boy/man) nor is it static; it exists along a continuum and can change over time.”

o “A person’s SEX refers to a set of biological attributes in humans, primarily associated with

physical and physiological features including chromosomes, gene expression, hormone

levels and function, and reproductive/sexual anatomy. Sex is usually categorized as female

or male, but there is variation in the biological attributes that comprise sex and how those

attributes are expressed.”

• HOMOPHOBIA: The fear, hatred, or aversion of people who experience same-sex attraction.

• MICROAGGRESSION: A comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group.

• PRONOUNS: Pronouns are words that are used in place of nouns. A gender-neutral or gender-inclusive pronoun is a pronoun that does not associate a gender with the individual who is being discussed. Commonly used pronouns include:

o She/Her

o He/Him

o They/Them

o Xe/Ze

Remember, you can always just use the person’s name instead!

• TRANSPHOBIA: The dislike of or prejudice against transgender people.

• WEIGHT BIAS: Negative attitudes, beliefs, judgement, stereotypes, and discriminatory acts aimed at individuals because of their weight. Weight bias is not exclusive to or solely about obesity, weight bias is inclusive of, and can be experienced by, all people.

• WEIGHT DISCRIMINATION: When people act on their own individual biases and the social stereotypes of weight-related bias, and treat people differently because of their weight.

This policy is a living document subject to change - if you have any recommendations on how we can improve this policy, please contact us. We are open to feedback in order to become better champions for marginalized communities.

Are you a victim of abuse, harassment or discrimination in a sport environment? Have you witnessed such an incident?

Please reach out to us at axebasketballclub@gmail.com to report it. You can also report your issue anonymously to the Canadian Sport Helpline at: https://abuse-free-sport.ca/helpline

The Canadian Sport Helpline is a free, anonymous, confidential and independent service in both official languages.